bull market somewhere. i promise to try and find it for you just for you. right here on "mad money." i'm jim kramer and i will see you tomorrow. this morning on "early today," mile high showdown. as president obama and mitt romney prepare for tonight's crucial debate, our brand new poll numbers show where they stand. mid-air scare. another incident of loose seats on an american airlines flight, and now the company says it knows why. and shock value. daredevil magician david blaine goes high voltage in his latest stunt. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a high stakes debate. all eyes turn to denver for tonight's first presidential debate of the 2012 race, and a

new nbc news "wall street journal" poll shows president obama is holding on to his national lead, but not by much. 49% of likely voters favor the president while 46% prefer mitt romney. that's only a 3% edge for obama, which is within the survey's margin of error, but when it comes to a poll of registered voters the president widens his lead over romney to 7 points, 51% to 44. and, finally, four in ten surveyed now say the nation is headed in the right direction. that's the highest amount since june 2009. meanwhile, both candidates took a break from their debate prep on tuesday to make a few unscheduled stops. nbc's steve handlesman reports from denver. >> reporter: the pressure is intense. president obama took time out for a visit to hoover dam. >> it's spectacular and i've never soon it before. >> reporter: mitt romney grabbed a burrito bowl. doug hudson, andrew luntkin and chris conroy run bicycle companies in colorado.

they took me out to red rocks. these guys will watch the debate, andrew hoping for a breakthrough by his candidate, mitt romney. >> i want him to talk about conservative values, especially economically, empowering small businesses. >> reporter: chris used to vote republican. not anymore. >> what really changed my mind recently is it seems to have gotten away from taking care of the little guy. >> reporter: doug is undecided. i'd like to see some details both from romney and obama mainly on tax policy. >> reporter: vice president biden charged team romney would hike middle class tax. >> how they can justify raising taxes on the middle class that's been buried the last four years. >> reporter: the republicans jumped on that. buried by obama? >> vice president biden just today said that the middle class over the last four years has been, quote, buried.

we agree. that means we need to stop digging by electing mitt romney the next president of the united states. >> reporter: that's the kind of zinger sure to be heard at debate number one. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, denver, colorado. and of course tonight nbc is going to have complete coverage of this first presidential debate anchored by brian williams along the best political team in the business. it all starts at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 p.m. pacific. elsewhere, a judge in pennsylvania has blocked the state's stricter voter i.d. law from taking effect this november. after weeks of protests, the ruling means that voters in pennsylvania will not have to show a state approved i.d. to cast ballots on election day. the judge said he was concerned that the law could prevent some people from voting. stricter voter i.d. laws in four states remain, but tougher laws in at least six other states were either shelved or watered down including those in florida,

ohio and of course now in pennsylvania. american airlines now says it knows why passenger seats broke loose causing a pair of emergency landings. the airline originally called for eight of its planes to be inspected but later ordered 47 of its aircraft to be checked. american blames the problem on clamps that were supposed to hold the seats in place but were not properly installed. meanwhile, american and its pilots union continued a contentious renegotiation over its labor agreements. both the airline and the union representing its mechanics deny labor issues played any role in the seat problem. here's a look at stories making news today in america. we are going to begin in minnesota where a wheelchair bound suspect suffered a brutal beating while in police custody. the officer pummeled the intoxicated man and pulled him out of his wheelchair after being hit in the face. the department has placed that

officer on administrative leave and requested he be charged with assault. next to texas where a passerby sprang into action to help a driver trapped in his burning car. look at that . the good samaritan pulled the driver from the vehicle just before it became fully engulfed in flames. both men survived without any injuries miraculously. in rhode island, luck may be the only way to describe how a female poodle mix survived being run over. the pooch was wedged in the grill of the vehicle for 11 miles. the dog's harrowing ordeal came to an end when another driver spotted her legs. susie the miracle dog is just find and has since been reunited with her owners. and finally, this is a story that's trending big time all across the blogosphere. a south carolina family won't be hitting the like button on a few facebook photos they just discovered. the pictures were taken at a party thrown by teens who broke into their home. police have not made any arrests

yet, but party goers have revealed the main culprits are actually classmates of the kids who live in the home. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins who would never think to do anything like that. >> i just wouldn't take the pictures. i'd take the pictures and keep them for myself, not post them online. i'll watch your place when you go away next time. no problem. >> okay. in the west yesterday, another day in the oven. it was very warm. this october forecast really shouldn't surprise you. we're expecting a good probability of above average temperatures in the west with dry weather. in the east is where they'll see a big changes, expected to be much cooler than average as we go through the next two weeks. no hope for cool air and wet weather at least not in the next ten days or so. we did see cooler air arrive for the northwest. cold front went through. that's the beginnings of the chunk of cold air supplieding

through the middle of the country. it will head east. hundreds in many spots yesterday in the desert southwest. many areas of interior california were 90s or 100. we held on to some of the warmth this morning. medford is right about 48. clear as could be for the day today and more sunshine and more warmth just about everywhere. that's a look at your national fo in many spots, the exception right along the coast. i'd like to give people a change, a little change of scenery, but more of the same coming your way. bill, thanks so much. coming up, tech titans duel. beer bounces back, and the city that's cracking down on snacks. your early morning business

headlines are straight ahead. plus a heated exchange between nicki minaj and mariah carey turns up the drama on the set of "american idol." you're watching early today.

vice president joe biden's airplane, air force 2, had a pair of landing problems due to bad weather. first in charlotte the flight had to do a go around due to a thunderstorm cell that left some passengers a little queasy. later the jet was diverted from andrews air force base to dulles due to a low cloud ceiling.

pope benedict's former butler declared his innocence yesterday against charges he stole personal documents from the pontiff, however, he admitted photocopying the pope's private correspondence. vatican police testified they found thousands of pages of documents inside his apartment. also in vatican city, a dramatic but unrelated protest. a man climbed onto the dome of st. peter's bassilica unfurling a protest bannister against italy's prime minister. at last report he was still up there. and after checking out a tip, police near detroit say missing teamster's boss jimmy hoffa is not buried in the driveway of a home. neither is anyone else. well, now here as an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow closed at 13,482 after losing 32 points yesterday. the s&p was up a point. the nasdaq gained six. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo

the nikkei fell 39 points but in hong kong the hang seng added 47. well, a mixed day on the street could be the story for much of the week. on tuesday material stocks stalled the dow after the country's largest fertilizer company reported weak global demand. meanwhile, news that spain will not ask for a bailout also worried investors but safe havens helped the s&p stay in the black. the uneven trend is likely to last through friday ahead of the monthly jobs report. speaking of which, new congressional research finds almost 2,400 people who received unemployment back in 2009 lived in households with annual incomes of $1 million or more. all right. back on the street, news that t-mobile parent deutsche telekom made by metro pcs sent the cell phone carrier stocks soaring 18%. auto sales were up 13% overall last month with toyota and honda posting double digit

gains. gm and ford sales were mostly flat. apple and samsung's bitter patent battle goes on. a temporary sales ban against the galaxy tab 10.1 which a jury recently found did not infringe on any apple patents has been lifted. meanwhile, samsung has now added the iphone 5 to its original filing against apple. new sales figures show a recovery in the american beer budget. shipments are up for the first time since 2008 thanks to the popularity of craft brews. watch out, mini cooper. "the wall street journal" reports nissan is bringing back the datsun in emerging economies. the bare bones version will go for as low as 3,000 bucks for a whole car. that's nice. and finally, rome is cracking down on snacking. that's right. a new law banning eating near the city's historical sites carries a fine of up to $650.

i would go broke there. well, coming up, triple crown cabrera. the most famous second plate appearance in history. and manhu on a role. plus, one yankee plays hero twice in one night. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. we've had a good run of very warm temperatures from the summer right to the beginning of fall but things are about to change. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. welcome back. it is time now to get a check of what's new in sports. the magic number for the new york yankees is one. the yanks' raul ibanez came in clutch twice last night. down 3-1, ibanez tied it with a pinch-hit two-run homer and then had an rbi single in the 12th helping the yanks beat boston. a win tonight or a loss by the orioles will get new york the a.l. east crown. to oakland now where the a's jonny gomes hit a home run and pitcr travis blakely allowed only one run over six innings to tie the rangers for first place in the a.l. west and force a winner-take-all game against texas tonight. all right. to miami, adam greenberg got his first at-bat since being hit in the head by a pitch seven years

ago in his only other mlb appearance. this a lot of people have been following, he signed a one-day contract with the marlins before the game and came in as a pinch-hitter against the mets. everyone was rooting for him, but greenberg struck out in three pitches. the marlins did go in to win it, 4-3 in 11 innings. well, to kansas city where detroit's miguel cabrera picked up two hits and two rbis in the tigers 4-2 loss to the royals. with a .331 average, 44 home runs and 139 rbis cabrera is on the brink of becoming the first triple crown winner in 45 years. we'll wait to see about that. finally in soccer, robin van persie scored two goals for manchester united extending their winning start to the seasons champions league after a 2-1 victory. >> announcer: early today sports is brought to you by just for men auto stop.

gray is over. coming up, idol unrest. it's nicki versus mariah. grease's singing duo travolta and newton john are at it again. and liam neeson bears all. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus magician david blaine faces off with a 1 million volt lightning storm. you're watching "early today."

well, welcome back to "early today." we are watching a large storm entering the aleutian islands. we'll see the rain move towards parts of the central and southern coast. cloudy in anchorage, juneau at 48. dry in the west the next two days and still a pretty mild pattern. the exception in the northwest, closer to average temperatures. if you're watching us on koti, watch it fly at the wind tunnel project at the children's museum of klamath falls. that's your early today event. >> that would be fantastic. can i stay late and have you do that for me? thank you so much

well now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. tmz reports trouble on the set of "american idol." new judge nicki minaj derailed auditions in north carolina yesterday after threatening to knock out fellow panelist mariah carey over a disagreement about a contestant. we do this all the time, but it's over other things. minaj reportedly shouted, and for the record we had to clean this up for tv, that she's not going to put up with her highness. >> i just said that yesterday. >> about me, i'm sure. well, the singers of the best selling duet in pop music history, "you're the one that i want," i love that song, are reuniting. grease co-stars john travolta and olivia newton john have a holiday album coming out complete with a cheesy cover photo that bill finds adorable. proceeds will go to charity. well, liam neeson beared all on "ellen" tuesday. go, liam. the actor stripped down to hot pink underwear, sat in a dunk tank chamber, and got soaked by an audience member all raising $20,000 for breast cancer research. and finally, south korean rapper psy is vowing to perform

his gangnam style dance topless if the song reaches number one on the billboard chart. last week it was number two behind maroon 5's "one more night." this comes to us from new york city where magician david blaine plans to shock the world. the world renowned dare devil will stand in the middle of an 1 million electrical volt for three days with no food. his chain body suit and metal helmet will keep him safe. doctors say the real danger could come from sleep deprivation and deadly gases. i'm lynn berry. this is just your first stop of the day on your nbc station.

in tokyo, watching your baby sleep is one thing. turning it into art is another. a mother has been snapping hundreds of scenes of her napping infant as inspiration for a book. you can see there the 2-year-old is blissfully unaware of the clothes, towels, and even veggies that mom uses to create the shot. her photographs are so popular a book really is in the works. in india a record attempt will leave one man with a splitting headache. the 40-year-old broke 18 coconuts in 18 seconds with his head. the fete has earned him a spot in india's record book, but this isn't his first record. he made it in the guinness book of world records in march after cracking open 85 coconuts with his elbow in one minute. and finally madame tussauds' newest editions are bringing a

little '70s flare with them. the london wax museum has decided to take a chance on swedish super group abba known for hits like "dancing queen" and "mamma mia." the group is decked out in bell bottoms and platform boots of course and also, of course, the new figures were introduced in a special roller disco complete with dancers. and now you'll have a song in your head for the rest of the day. >> if you had to bring back one decade of style, '60s, '70s, '80s. >> can i go back with '50s? >> the '50s? you want to go all the way back to like the no bikinis, like the full piece bathing suit? >> gosh, i sound so boring. >> '50s. wow. >> so boring. how about you? >> i'm definitely going '70s. '70s, just fun. >> bill in bell bottoms, i can't see it. >> disco. it's time for now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. it's not december yet, but it is that time of year to select this year's white house christmas tree. this year's evergreen hales from north carolina. the tree will be selected today but won't be harvested until late november. kids from thousands of

schools across the country and around the world will be hoofing it to class today for international walk and bike to school day. the partnership for a walkable america started the u.s. ritual back in 1997 and now the movement has spread to more than 40 countries worldwide. and happy birthday to our own reverend al sharpton. the msnbc "politics nation" host turns 58. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and more as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. rick santorum and president obama's deputy campaign manager preview what to expect at tonight's presidential debate. and in a "today" exclusive, hear a story of survival from two friends who were left stranded after their plane crashed in the gulf of mexico. and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com